Ivana Trump Did Guest Spot On Soap

Q. I read somewhere that Ivana Trump used to be an actress on One Life to Live. I was trying to figure out which character she played. Can you help me out? -- Maureen, Dayton, Ohio.

A. Sure, I can help you out. Trump never portrayed a character on OLTL. She did make a guest appearance on the show, however, starring as herself. Her guest spot took place on the 6000th episode of the soap. On that show, Luna and Max ran into Ivana at her casino in Atlantic City.

Soap notes

We come not to bury Another World -- though everyone else seems to be -- we come in praise of AW, which everyone would do if they would turn on the show. The continuing saga of Another World is long and often bittersweet.

It was AW that kept dozens of friends glued to their TV sets every summer. Remember, this was the dark ages, before VCRs. Since it aired at 2 p.m., none of the gang got to the pool until 3:30. Who could miss one day of Alice, Pat and Steve? Not us.

Then AW went stale. Writers, producers and actors came and went. That, coupled with constant rumors that the show was going to be canceled, did not help ratings. Still, P&G and NBC kept the soap on the air.

Recently AW has begun to spin some exciting story lines. Once-saintly Marley has turned on her once-sinful twin, Vicky. The engrossing plot involves most of the cast. What works for this story and so many other AW story lines is that character history is not forgotten.

The cast is packed with talented actors: Mark Pinter (Grant), the guy you hate, but would hate to see die and keep hoping might change; Steve Schnetzer (Cass), the one-time playboy who fell in love with Frankie and then had to deal with her murder; Tom Eplin (Jake), the bad boy turned good, but not too good; and Victoria Wyndham (Rachel), the heroine, but not made out of saccharine -- stir her coffee too much and she'll curdle your milk.

With all that said, AW does have a few problems. Now that Chris Goutman has taken over as executive producer, we hope he does not make wholesale changes, but just a few adjustments. In fact, AW's main problem is not the product, but rather the new industry mind-set.

Networks want to own a piece of every show.

If you own the show, or part of it, you share in the profits. Instead of having to only depend on the advertising dollar, the network can reap foreign market profits, licensing fees, etc.

At NBC, Days of Our Lives and Sunset Beach are co-owned by NBC. AW is owned only by P&G, and it is not willing to share a piece of its apple pie. When the network's new soap, Passions, comes on line summer of 1999, NBC gets a slice.

That way, even if the show pulls lower ratings, it will be more profitable for the network.

Does that mean goodbye to AW? Maybe at NBC, but there are lots of cable networks that would love to have this longtime favorite with a built-in audience join their lineup.

It also doesn't hurt that P&G's other soaps, As the World Turns and Guiding Light, have had ratings turnarounds.

If you haven't watched AW for a long time, tune in and see what you've been missing. Don't do it because it might save the show, but because it is worth a look-see.

Lynda Hirsch is a columnist for Creators Syndicate. Have a question or comment about soap operas? Write to Lynda Hirsch, The Soaps, Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293. Questions of general interest are answered, but Because of the volume received, Replies do not appear for all. Letters must include signature and valid mailing address. Personal phone calls and letters of reply are not possible. To find out more about past Hirsch columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at (www.creators. com).